Let’s Talk about the Future of Food

Americans have a lot of questions about how our food is raised, the impact on our health and the health of the planet. Today it seems there are more questions than answers.

On Sept. 22, all are invited to participate inThe Food Dialogues – the beginning of a new conversation bringing together our diverse viewpoints on farming and ranching and the future of our food to solve our most challenging problems. This Town Hall-style discussion will take place in Washington, D.C., California, New York and Indiana, but will be simulcast online to connect all Americans interested in a dialogue about their food.

“We realized farmers and ranchers haven’t always done the best job answering Americans’ questions about how food is grown and raised, and hope The Food Dialogues event will be the start of an ongoing dialogue that addresses these questions and more,” said Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation and chairman of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA).

“This event will allow anyone with an Internet connection the ability to join a conversation about food and where it comes from,” said Stallman. “Consumers rightfully want to know that farmers and ranchers are treating animals well, maintaining food quality and safety and doing our jobs in ways that don’t harm the environment. This is an opportunity to ask questions, challenge current thinking and truly engage in a real-time, two-way conversation taking place on www.fooddialogues.com and USFRA’s Facebook page about food with farmers, ranchers and other major thought leaders in the food and agriculture industry.”

“We hope everyone who cares about the future of food and how we provide healthy choices for people everywhere will join the discussion, including farmers of all sizes – small and large, conventional and organic, consumers and food decision-makers,” said Stallman.

How it works

The Food Dialogues will include four panel discussions, featuring leaders in food, food service, media and policy, farmers of all types and business leaders, who will share different viewpoints about the current and future states of food, and how food is grown and raised.

Those watching online will also be able to leave comments, have discussions with other viewers and ask questions of panelists in the four cities where discussions are being held.

How to join us in watching The Food Dialogues

The Food Dialogues will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Eastern) on Thursday Sept. 22. All are invited to watch any or all portions of the discussion throughout the day, and participate through the various methods outlined below.

• Via FoodDialogues.com: Register, watch and participate during the event at www.fooddialogues.com. Post your questions, answer polls and more at any time before, during or after the event, as well as continue the conversation after the event.

• In-person at the Ohio State Farm Science Review: Join Ohio Farm Bureau in the Tobin Building, at the corner of Beef Street and Soybean Avenue on the west side of the Farm Science Review exhibit grounds. Stop by for a few minutes or sit through any number of the sessions. Ohio Farm Bureau staff will also be on hand to help you send your questions to panelists during the event. Visit our FARM SCIENCE in-person event invite to RSVP, invite your friends and get more details on The Food Dialogues. Get more details about the Farm Science Review at http://fsr.osu.edu

Ohio Farm Bureau Federation is a member of American Farm Bureau Federation®, a national organization of farmers and ranchers including Farm Bureau® organizations in 49 other states and Puerto Rico, and is responsible for Farm Bureau membership and programs within the State of Ohio. Ohio Farm Bureau Federation programs and services are available only to Farm Bureau members within Ohio. The political views expressed in these pages represent Ohio Farm Bureau Federation's positions on various issues as they relate to Ohio. The positions of the national Farm Bureau organization collectively are expressed through American Farm Bureau Federation. Any opinions, statements or views expressed through comments or by outside contributors are the express views of those individuals and do not necessarily represent the views of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation.